US763200A - Damper-sustaining device for piano-actions. - Google Patents

Description

No. 763,200. PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904.

I A. NICKEL. DAMPER SUSTAINING DEVICE FOR PIANO ACTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June 21, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM NICKEL, OF NEV' YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,200, dated June 21, 1904.

Application filed March 2, 1904. Serial No. 196,122. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADAM NICKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, (Manhattan) county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Damper Sustaining Devices for Piano-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a damper-sustaining device for piano-actions which is so constructed that the damper-levers of the depressed keys are effectively held 0E their strings while the damper-levers of all the other keys retain their unobstructed freedom of motion.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an upright-piano action provided with my improved damper-sustaining device and showing the normal position of the parts; Fig. 2, a similar view of part of the action, showing the position of a damper tilted prior to the depression of the sustaining-pedal; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the position of a damper tilted after the depression, and Fig. 4 a similar view showing a damper-sustaining extension directly above a sustaining-lever.

The letter a represents the damper-lever of an upright-piano action influenced by spring a and actuated by the spoon b, secured to wippen c, which is fulcrumed at 0'.

Whenever the sustaining-pedal is depressed, the dampers of the keys held down must be held off the strings, while the dampers of all the other keys must retain their usual full freedom of movement. To effect this result, I have devised the following construction.

d is the oscillating sustaining-rail,suspended by hangers d from supports a, The rail (Z is provided with a bent arm (2 engaged by a lifter j, which is operated by the sustainingpedal. (Not shown.) Thus by a depression of the pedal the rail (Z is swung backward, while upon a release of the pedal it is swung forward by a spring (Z To the rail (Z is secured below each damper-lever a a forked bearing g, to which is fulcrumed at g an elbow-lever h, which 1 term a sustaining-lever. The horizontal arm of this lever is adapted to engage the top of rail (Z, against which it is normally held by a spring h. The upright arm of lever IL is in a vertical plane with a sustaining extension 1', depending from damper-lever a.

The upper or working edge of the upright arm of lever it extends above pivot g and is located in a vertical plane back of a vertical plane drawn through the pivot. Thus any vertical pressure exerted upon the upper end of lever it will tend to tilt the lever upon its fulcrum and jamming of the parts is prevented.

In the normal position of the parts the top of lever h is below the bottom of extension 2', and thus does not interferewith the free movement of the damper, Fig. 1. When, however, the sustaining-pedal is depressed, the top of lever it is projected above the bottom of extension 6 and is thus carried into the path of the extension, Figs. 2 and 3.

The device operates as follows: If a key is depressed,the damper extensionz' corresponding to such key is thereby swung backward, Fig. 2. If now the sustaining-pedal is depressed, it will raise the rail (Z, and consequently the levers ii, so as to carry these levers upward and in front of the extensions 2' of the depressed keys, Fig. 2. Thus the dampers of the depressed keys will be held off the strings as long as the pedal remains depressed, the engagement of horizontal arms of levers it with rail d preventing a forward tilting of the levers. The extensions of those dampers the keys of which have not been depressed will, however, remain in front of their levers h, Fig. 3; but as these levers are likewise projected above the lower ends of the extensionsit is of importance that the levers do not impede the free movement of the dampers. This important result is accomplished by my invention, because upon the subsequent depression of a key the extension 2' in swinging backward will tilt the lever h backward against action of spring it. Thus the lever will not form an impediment to the action of the damper, but will constitute amovable abutment which readily yields to slight pressure from the damper. So, also, when by the raising of the rail (Z during the partial depression of a key the lever A arrives directly below an extension 2', Fig. 4:, a dead-lock of the damper and any jammingof the parts will not take place, because the vertical pressureexerted upon the lever h will tilt the lever upon its fulcrum and permit the extension i to slip off the same. Thus it will be seen that the dampers of all the non-depressed keys are always free to operate and that any jamming of the parts is effectively prevented.

What I claim is 1. In a pianoaction, the combination of a damper-lever having an extension, a swinging sustaining-rail, and an elbow-lever pivoted to said rail, the working edge of said lever being arranged back of and above the lever-fulcrum, substantially as specified.

tially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city (Manhattan), New York, this 15th day of February, 1904.

ADAM NICKEL.

Witnesses PHILIP MENGES, GHAs. MUHLENFELS.

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